Owner Jorge Vergara Visits Chivas USA Front Office

October 1, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club Deportivo Chivas USA News Release


On Tuesday morning, Chivas USA received a pleasant and friendly visit from Chivas owner Jorge Vergara. After spending the morning between meetings with the club's executives and technical directors, Vergara took a break from his agenda to enjoy some time with the rest of the office.

It was during that time off that cdchivasusa.com was able to steal a few minutes and ask Mr. Vergara a few questions regarding his perception of the team and the improvements on the field since Head Coach Jose Luis Real's arrival.

"I came very excited to analyze and see the results achieved until today and I am truly very happy, very satisfied with what we are accomplishing," explained Vergara.

Despite being happy with the goals achieved thus far, Vergara knows there's still a lot of work ahead. However, the objectives for the upcoming season are set and little by little the results in the various areas of the business are starting to flourish.

"I believe we have accomplished our purpose which was to clean up and lay the foundations to success. I believe the team is showing a soccer identity that it didn't have. We are accomplishing a lot of objectives that we set up for ourselves, even earlier than expected," went on the owner.

Since the arrival of "G-ero" Real in the middle of the season, the Red-and-White have undergone a number of changes in terms of soccer strategy so they can integrate, unify and consolidate an idea of the game that will be useful for both the youth system and the First Team. In the Youth Academy, the rewards are already taking place, as the Under-23 Team keeps on building on the 12-game unbeaten streak in addition to the State Championship they won this past August.

"G-ero is a person who knows the style of soccer at Chivas entirely, he knows how to manage the youth, something we wanted to achieve with Chivas USA and that we are accomplishing, and above all to implement a style of soccer and lay the foundation so we are able to have that same style of soccer, the same style of play, to be much more entertaining and be more spectacular," concluded Vergara.

Now it's time for that combination between the youth and veteran players such as Dan Kennedy and Carlos Bocanegra, among others, to continue to get stronger so they can build a winning team ahead of the 2014 season.

Anguiano and Hilton join U.S. U-14 BNT

The huge talent and future inside Chivas USA's Youth Development program continues to catch eyes, this time at the national team level. Chivas USA's John Hilton and Carlos Anguiano have both been called up to the U.S. U-14 Boys' National Team Training Camp by Head Coach Tony Lepore. Hilton and Anguiano have joined the rest of the 46 young players invited to the camp that began Sept. 28 and will run until Oct. 6 in the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

Both Anguiano and Hilton most recently travelled with Chivas USA's U-13 Team to Spain where the Red-and-White participated in the Canillas International Tournament along with clubs from 14 different countries.

In the month of August, Hilton joined England's Manchester City youth ranks in a one-week training experience that included participation in Holland's United Jeugd Cup. At the end of the tournament, Hilton was named Most Valuable Player of the competition.

Anguiano and Hilton joined Chivas USA early this year to be a part of the U14/15 Team that participates in U.S. Soccer's Development Academy, but had previously worked under the tutelage of current U13 and U14/15 Head Coach Brian Kleiban. After years of knowing each other, Coach Kleiban knows that the two boys have a bright future ahead.

"The thing that sets them apart from their ability is their work rate," Kleiban said about Hilton and Anguiano. "They are obsessed with being highlighted players so it's not just two or three days or four days with us, it's training on their own from the physical aspect to the mental aspect. Those two mentally set themselves apart; it's like adults in 12 or 13 year old bodies. They have a very bright future if they continue to work and stay humble and their parents support them."

While Anguiano and Hilton are away on international duty, Chivas USA U14/15 Team will continue their participation in the USSDA season, facing Los Angeles Futbol Academy next Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2:30 p.m. (PT) and FC Golden State on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. (PT), both games set to be played at Bell Gardens Sports Complex's Field 5. For all the news and updates on the Youth Development program follow us on Twitter: @ChivasUSAYouth & @cdchivasusa.

Fondy tallies his first score with reserves

Since signing with Chivas USA in late August, Matthew Fondy has emerged as one of Head Coach Jose Luis Real's primary subs off the bench. The forward made his Major LeagueSoccer debut at Seattle on Sept. 4 and since then has come on in three other matches, often as the first offensive replacement.

Aside from regular-season play, the Northern California native started in his second Reserve League match on Monday and tallied his first score with the Rojiblancos in a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes. The night before, the striker entered the clubs' Week 31 match in the 52nd minute to team up with forward Erick Torres up top in search of breaking the scoreless tie. Fondy, 24, got into promising spots in the attacking third and managed to get into range inside the box, which he says will only continue to build his confidence.

"It feels good," Fondy said after Monday's game. "Feels like I'm breaking the ice and I know more is going to come. I'm just going to keep working hard and do whatever I can to help the team. I'm working hard in practice and I'm always ready to come off the bench when [Real] needs me. I'm trying to work to get as much time as I can."

Despite not being able to deliver his first MLS goal on Sunday night in the series finale against the Quakes, Fondy came back and handed the Red-and-White reserves a 1-0 lead in the third minute off a corner kick. Midfielder Jose Manuel Rivera sent the ball into the box from the right side and connected with the 6-foot-1 Fondy for the header.

"We work on that kind of stuff all the time in practice. [Rivera] whipped in a good ball. His corner kick was perfect. I beat my man to the spot and just pounded it home."

The next step for the UC Santa Cruz product, who spent the last two seasons with USL-PRO side the LA Blues, will be to continue working toward earning his first start with the First Team. However, with just three remaining matches in Chivas' season and the recent trend of playing with Torres as the lone striker, Fondy will perhaps have to wait and see if Real will send out his future starting 11 in a standard 4-4-2 set-up.

Fondy mentioned that he feels stronger playing up top with a second forward. But regardless of the formation, he will continue to answer whenever his number is called to continue to display the aggressiveness he has gradually begun to display with each added appearance on the pitch.

"I feel like we're coming together and learning how each other plays," Fondy said. "Things are improving, so it's something to be excited about, definitely."

Up next for Fondy and his teammates will be the third and final leg of this year's SuperClásico against the LA Galaxy, programmed for this Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. (PT) at the StubHub Center. The Rojiblancos' cross-hall rival enters the match with a one-game edge in this year's series and will serve as the host. The finale of the derby will be televised in English on KDOC-TV and in Spanish on UniMas. Game action can also be followed in Spanish on W Radio 690 AM.



Major League Soccer Stories from October 1, 2013


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